TAMPA, Fla. — A video from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay showed a person taking a puppy out of the bed of a pick-up truck and then tossing it over a six-foot fence.
Employees at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay said the incident happened when the shelter was closed at around 8:40 p.m. on Saturday. The man tosses the 4-month-old dog over the fence into the play yards.
Staff discovered the injured dog the next day, on Easter morning.
"I'm really mad. We're open seven days a week here. There's all kinds of resources if you can't keep your pet, and if for some reason, we can't take it at the time, we're full, you call back in a week, you give us some time so we can find room for the dog," said Sherry Silk, CEO of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
Shelter officials named the dog "Sonny."
"He has such a really positive outlook. When he was going through his intake after that, his paw hurt, his leg hurt, but he was still licking everybody's face, wagging his tail, excited to be there and he has such a sunny personality," said Regan Blessinger, Marketing and Content Manager at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
Sherry Silk, the CEO of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, said Sonny sustained a humerus fracture on his left leg. He was found covered in his own feces, hungry and limping.
Silk hopes someone recognizes the truck or the person.
"I'm hoping they might be one of your viewers out there that recognize the truck or recognize him and turn him in because that's just plain wrong," she said.
Silk said if pet owners are struggling financially to keep their pets, the shelter offers options to help.
"If you can't keep your animal and we have space because we're a no-kill for space shelter, we will take your dog without any kind of donation. We're going to ask for a donation because we're a nonprofit. It doesn't cost you to drop off a dog here or any other shelter. As an owner of a dog or cat, it's your responsibility to be responsible to make sure it goes to another home," said Silk.
"We also do have programs to help people and maybe people aren't aware. We have a food pantry and pet pantry. We can give you food twice a week so you can keep your pet. We have affordable vet care at our hospital," added Silk.
The shelter is looking for a foster family to care for the dog as he recovers. Silk said the dog should be available for adoption after he heals.
"It's a clean fracture, so the vets do think he will fully heal, surgery won't be needed, so at this point, it's pain management and making sure he's comfortable," said Regan Blessinger, Marketing and Content Manager at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
"When we got him that Easter morning, he's licking all the staff's faces. I mean, dogs are so much more forgiving than people are," added Silk.
If you have information on this case, please email communications@humanesocietytampa.org.
